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Thread: Red squirrel

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Default Red squirrel

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    Hi everyone,

    Apologies for not commenting much recently, hectic around here so I've been more of a lurker than a contributor recently.

    Still, I managed a day out with my old squirrel mates last week and liked this frame despite parts of the squirrel missing from view.

    Canon 5d3
    500mm f4is
    ISO 1250
    1/800th, f4
    Approx 95% of the full frame

    regards

    Mike

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    Thats a really nice capture, lovely light and sharpness. Im not sure Im a fan of the U shape tree/log especially as it takes up a lot of space on the left but overall I do like the image.

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Mike , i quite like this with the U framing . Very nice colors and tones and the feeding pose with the nut on top . If this was mine i would just darken the HL , specially the red channel is a bit thin in the HL.
    A bit more DOF would have been better , from my POV .

    TFS Andreas

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Mike, certainly like the U shape frame as well. Good points made by Andreas with the highlights I would also darken them a tad. Love squirrels

    Have a great eve

    Ciao
    Anette

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Mike - I also like the framing. The colors of the bg set off the squirrel nicely. Good suggestions by Andreas for dealing with highlights.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Love the colour & detail you've extracted here Mike, and I'm another for liking the frame and think it adds a lot to the overall comp. Agree on toning down the HL a tad.

    TFS


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  12. #7
    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Thanks for looking and commenting everyone.

    Quote Originally Posted by Andreas Liedmann View Post
    Hi Mike , i quite like this with the U framing . Very nice colors and tones and the feeding pose with the nut on top . If this was mine i would just darken the HL , specially the red channel is a bit thin in the HL.
    A bit more DOF would have been better , from my POV .



    TFS Andreas
    Andreas, as my PP skills are somewhat basic, please can you give me a pointer about what you mean and how to adjust the red channel

    thanks

    Mike

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi Mike sorry for coming back late to your question , i just did not revisited this thread .

    So your question was how to alter the HL ? or specially the red channel !!

    I had the same stuff going on with Andre`s rhino image http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...e-Investigator see there for a detailed description of how to do that .

    I think it is fairly easy to do , even if Steve told me to make stuff not too complicated for others.

    You can also just make a curve adjustment layer set to multiply blend mode and play with the opacity and use a mask for the HL to avoid multiplying other than the HL.

    Here is another version ( option ) to deal with it. Made the RP with this , just invented this freshly for myself , and it works even better , well for me . The key is you have to find the enemy in your RGB channels !!!! In this case it is clearly the RED channel it is washed out in the HL and mid tones .

    Just check yourself all three RGB channels in PS by clicking on them in the channels palette in PS.


    What i did was as follows

    Duplicate the BG layer by hitting cmd - J (on mac )
    set the blend mode to luminosity for the duplicated layer to avoid color shifts.
    go to channels palette and click on the red channel ( you should see now the red channel on your monitor )
    select the history brush tool by hitting Y on your keyboard. in the brush submenu on top of your PS workspace set the mode to "multiply " , the opacity to 50 % and the flow to 100 % . I work with a tablet , so a bit easier brush work .
    now start painting the light areas with the brush to darken them , no need to be precise .
    Once finished with painting , activate all three channels by clicking on the RGB composite in the channel palette , to see the result.
    In case you have painted over other parts than the HL and to avoid seeing any brush strokes you can (or should) add a luminance layer mask to the duplicated layer.
    Mike this is just one way to do so , for me it gives better results than the method by altering all channels with multiply method , because you are multiplying the green and the blue channel too, even if not necessary because they have enough detail in the HL .

    For my RP i did exact what i described above , plus i duplicated the edited layer to make the effect stronger and levels adjustment layer for final touch up .

    WDYT ? again it sounds complicated but its not , even if Steve will say so , we all have our ways to deal with it .

    Cheers Andreas

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Hello Mike!

    I love your squirrels, there's something so cute and cheerful about them It's just that I would have liked more DOF, Mike. I really like the framing and presentation here, and colours are superb. Keep them coming, I certainly would like to see more. Would be lovely to see some interaction between squirrels if possible:)

    Happy New Year Mike, all the best in 2015!

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

  15. #10
    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andreas Liedmann View Post
    Hi Mike sorry for coming back late to your question , i just did not revisited this thread .

    So your question was how to alter the HL ? or specially the red channel !!

    I had the same stuff going on with Andre`s rhino image http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...e-Investigator see there for a detailed description of how to do that .

    I think it is fairly easy to do , even if Steve told me to make stuff not too complicated for others.

    You can also just make a curve adjustment layer set to multiply blend mode and play with the opacity and use a mask for the HL to avoid multiplying other than the HL.

    Here is another version ( option ) to deal with it. Made the RP with this , just invented this freshly for myself , and it works even better , well for me . The key is you have to find the enemy in your RGB channels !!!! In this case it is clearly the RED channel it is washed out in the HL and mid tones .

    Just check yourself all three RGB channels in PS by clicking on them in the channels palette in PS.


    What i did was as follows

    Duplicate the BG layer by hitting cmd - J (on mac )
    set the blend mode to luminosity for the duplicated layer to avoid color shifts.
    go to channels palette and click on the red channel ( you should see now the red channel on your monitor )
    select the history brush tool by hitting Y on your keyboard. in the brush submenu on top of your PS workspace set the mode to "multiply " , the opacity to 50 % and the flow to 100 % . I work with a tablet , so a bit easier brush work .
    now start painting the light areas with the brush to darken them , no need to be precise .
    Once finished with painting , activate all three channels by clicking on the RGB composite in the channel palette , to see the result.
    In case you have painted over other parts than the HL and to avoid seeing any brush strokes you can (or should) add a luminance layer mask to the duplicated layer.
    Mike this is just one way to do so , for me it gives better results than the method by altering all channels with multiply method , because you are multiplying the green and the blue channel too, even if not necessary because they have enough detail in the HL .

    For my RP i did exact what i described above , plus i duplicated the edited layer to make the effect stronger and levels adjustment layer for final touch up .

    WDYT ? again it sounds complicated but its not , even if Steve will say so , we all have our ways to deal with it .

    Cheers Andreas
    Andreas,

    Many thanks for taking the time to show and explain what you did.

    When I view the images side by side I see the subtle differences and improvements in areas like the white fur under the chin and details on the hazelnut. However, I am at a very basic level in PS so your workflow is still above my current level of understanding.

    However, I'll use the information as a base level for experimenting, and it is very much appreciated

    All the best for 2015

    regards

    Mike

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gabriela Plesea View Post
    Hello Mike!

    I love your squirrels, there's something so cute and cheerful about them It's just that I would have liked more DOF, Mike. I really like the framing and presentation here, and colours are superb. Keep them coming, I certainly would like to see more. Would be lovely to see some interaction between squirrels if possible:)

    Happy New Year Mike, all the best in 2015!

    Kind regards,
    Thanks Gabriela,

    Multiple squirrels interacting?? This sounds like a very difficult challenge, so although I will most probably fail, I'll certainly give it a go next time I make the drive up to the location!

    All the best for 2015

    regards

    Mike

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Mike no problem i have done this with pleasure , i really hope you try this ..... even it takes time to learn .
    And yes it is subtle , but that is what it is about , do not make massive changes if not needed.
    Because you have an already well processed image !!!!

    If you have any problems with color/tones etc , feel free to fire an e-mail , i guess you still have my address . Best would be to sit side by side in front of a screen and way easier to understand all that stuff .

    Cheers and happy processing for 2015 , hope you have a good one !!!

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  19. #13
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Mike, you seem to be finding your way nicely around capturing and PP. Personally would like the squirrel to have filled a bit more of the space to the left, the void in the V I feel is a tad much, perhaps if the opportunity allowed, moving a fraction to the left may have heeled?

    TFS
    Steve

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